


Supernatural 3.08 review

by yourlibrarian



Series: Supernatural Reviews [11]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Episode Review, Episode: s03e08 A Very Supernatural Christmas, Gen, Nonfiction
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-17
Updated: 2021-03-17
Packaged: 2021-03-25 16:34:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,604
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30091965
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yourlibrarian/pseuds/yourlibrarian
Summary: Originally posted December 14, 2007.
Series: Supernatural Reviews [11]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2202249
Kudos: 1
Collections: March Meta Matters Challenge





	Supernatural 3.08 review

I have a feeling that to the average SPN viewer, the Christmas episode will be a hit. There's certainly a number of clever bits in it, and as the near antithesis of the usual Christmas special (the opening was inspired, from the CBS special logo to the exploding ornament) it was fun viewing. However I'm less than happy with some of the most anticipated details.

I'm speaking there of the flashback sections. We have so little canon on the pre-Stanford years that it wouldn't seem all that difficult to map out some new territory. In Something Wicked Sam was 6 or 7. In this episode he was 9. And in the pilot he was 9 when he already knew about the thing in the closet (and presumably how to shoot a .45). I can only assume this was the start of a major year for Sam in terms of induction into the world of hunting. Why did he think Dean knew how to shoot a rifle and kept one loaded and indoors several years earlier? Wouldn't he think it more than strange Dean slept with a gun under his pillow before? (And why a gun and not his knife?) Most kids ask "why" about the most trivial things. All I can think is that Sam must have been as enormously devoted to John as Dean was to have so much patience with never being told any facts about their life, having John away so much and not even knowing what he was doing, and being alternately bossed and lied to by Dean. It also explains how angry he must have gotten in his adolescence to be told so little since any silence would smack of lies to him. No wonder he digs into Dean's silences, or that research became a passion since that was the way to the truth.

What I was less thrilled to see was the eternally sacrificing (and yet hair-trigger) Dean in view yet again. Going out and stealing the wrong kind of gifts was somewhat amusing, but I didn't think that we got much more insight into him in this episode and I would really have liked to see it. The moment with the amulet was great though, it was totally unexpected for me. I'd always wondered if the amulet had been created or acquired by Bobby and I guess it was. That it was meant for John and Dean got it instead seemed to me a rather nicely subtle message about the parental role Dean played. I'd always assumed it came from either John or Sam since Dean is never without it, and his family's the only thing he keeps so close. It's a good balance that it came from Sam since the car represents John to him already. (And I really liked how, in that final pullaway shot, we back out far enough to see the Impala outside the window). I wonder if the fact that the amulet was intended for John actually made it that much more special to Dean? (And given that it was for John, I still wonder what it's supposed to do?)

Speaking of balance, I'm thinking that was the point of Sam's about-face regarding celebrating Christmas. The flashback was all about Dean's sacrifices and Sam's recognition of them, so he decided to put on his brave face and give Dean what he wanted even though he knew it was as much of a lie as "John's" Christmas surprise all those years earlier. What wasn't a lie, of course, was their togetherness.

Seems like there was yet another hinting of the good/evil brother dynamic in the case of the week and Sam's theory of the anti-Claus. Although the drunk-Santa red herring wasn't all that gripping, it was definitely worth it for the moment when they burst into the trailer and Dean has the inspired idea to sing carols (which they can't even remember the words to). That was priceless.

Speaking of the red herring, while I thought this episode had a richness of color to it that made watching scene after scene a real pleasure, a lot of the content just seemed like padding to me. I got the sense that there were a couple of scene ideas that excited the writers and then they figured out some scenes to get from Point A to Point B but those connecting bits didn't have any substance. Part of this "lack" came from a dearth of interesting supporting characters. Sometimes there are good actors who manage to do a lot with shallow parts, and other times the guest actors get some good stuff to do as well. While the whole Perry Como aspect of the MotW was rather amusing, there wasn't a lot to that joke. We also got bits with the wife being interviewed at the beginning, the guy in the store, and the Santa village that just didn't go anywhere. The best example though was the neighbor at the door. While for reasons of surprise, we couldn't just cut back to Sam and Dean, how many people watching didn't anticipate that they'd have somehow broken loose in those few minutes? Having the neighbor go on for a while didn't make that anticipation any greater, it just took up screen time. What also didn't help me in terms of guest actors was the one playing young Dean. I wasn't very taken with him in Something Wicked and I was even less impressed here. There's a lot of lurching in his performance rather than smooth transitions, which would have made dialogue seem less artificial and a person's emotions and reactions seem more organic. It's particularly jarring given how good JA is with most of his material, so I was struggling to see him as Dean. Young Sam was better, and in terms of appearance I think they made a credible choice. I especially liked the moment when he faced Dean down with the journal. His look of determination seemed quite Sam-like.

There were also some rather tired bits in terms of dialogue –- Dean not knowing who Mary Poppins is (what, there's no porn version of that?), the whole thing with Sam, Santa, and the wreaths (yeah and he likes dolls too), even Dean's over-the-top reaction about Sam asking about their mother just reminded me of their confrontation on the bridge in the Pilot. In other cases inserting the dialogue was just clunky. The idea that Sam and Dean would stand at the door, just so Sam could needle Dean about having to blow away Santa when they thought someone was in danger inside, was just awkward. I noticed that in a review it mentioned that this was very much a standalone episode that non-SPN viewers could understand easily. That's probably true, though for people who have been watching the show it's less rewarding. For example the whole discussion about why Dean wants to celebrate Christmas and Sam doesn't just seems another anvil-like bit. Surely any regular viewer knows perfectly well why Dean does, and that Sam, aside from his poor Christmas memories, probably wouldn't simply because to do so is yet another acknowledgment of Dean's likely demise. Speaking of which, between learning car repair (useful whether or not Dean will be around) and now this Christmas celebration, Sam's starting to seem rather accepting of the possibility he'll fail to save Dean. That can't be very confidence inspiring.

In terms of dangling plot threads, was someone still alive in that bag? Presumably the most recent kidnapped husband? I can only assume that Sam and Dean end up rescuing him eventually. I also had to wonder at the bloodied Santa boots they came across. The murdered Santa occurred a year ago, in another place, and one boot was left behind. It would seem they weren't just invading houses and kidnapping people at random, but also heisting Santas. I also had to wonder how the two gods who were presumably pretty strong couldn't break through doors that Dean routinely kicks through with his thighs of steel. (And in an owie moment, I can't imagine how painful messing with that needle-ridden tree must have been with Sam's injured finger).

Some things I quite enjoyed: Dean's exchange with the wreath vendor about charging for something he got for free; the little moment when Dean nearly accepts the peanut brittle; "I'll try to remember that" about the swearing; the Christmas tree hung with car air fresheners; and the reference to St. Nicotine. JP does a nice job post-nail pulling in looking as woozy and zonked out as I imagine he might. And I liked the scene where Dean is whittling and Sam is doing more research. The way the scene alternated push-ins on both of them worked really nicely. I also wondered if that bit about mild weather in Michigan was a bit of corrective dialogue just like they had in Route 666 when they moved the setting north and mentioned unseasonable weather due to the snow.

I thought it was interesting that Sam explains his gift of John's present to Dean was because John had lied. Given that Dean had just added to the lies with his own gifts, Sam seems to have rather a double standard. (I noticed with the captions that the music that was supposed to be playing during the final flashback had been cut). Although there was a fair amount of time spent on the scene, I wouldn't cut a bit of it. It's nice to get a taste of what passes for domesticity between them. I'm guessing they're going to be watching Dallas play together…


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